Objective:
     Play 'Splosion Man and analyze it.  Construct questions designed to elicit critical thinking on game design.  Demonstrate the game in a game deconstruction session with other designers and moderate discussion.

 

Results:
     Again, feel free to check out the original document I used during the deconstruction to present my questions.  Following are the thoughts of the group regarding the game based on my decon:

Pre-Associations

• Bionic Commando
• N+
• 2D Portal
• 2D Mirror's Edge
• Explosions
• High on comedy (zany)
• Earthworm Jiml

Controls

• Move left to right, no movement toward or away from player
• Combination splode/jump button
• Left trigger = countdown timer in co-op mode to sync sploding
• Right trigger = suicide button (start over from last waypoint)

 Observations ('Good' Features)

• Character full of life, never sits still - animations very polished
• The menu selections play the notes of the theme song when selected in sequence - nice bit of polish
• It's fun to just 'splode
• Characterizations and wacky world make people laugh a LOT
• Seamless incorporated tutorial - minimal instructional elements or pop-ups
• Fun sound/music/visuals - high level of consistent polish
• CAKE! Cake is a collectible item (nod to Portal?)
• The game is forgiving (ramps up nicely, includes 'way of the coward' option) but tricky in its clever puzzles
• Short levels (finished within minutes in both single and co-op modes)

Observations ('Bad' Features)

• Monotony - levels all look the same, lacking a feeling of moving forward through the game environments and ending up being boring visually; you really only use the splode button, all the time; and aside from complex puzzles, you end up waiting to see something new forever (boss fights alleviate the monotony but are few and far between)
• Loading screen gets old fast, especially since you can complete levels quickly

Observations ('Neutral' Features)

• Almost seems more like a toy to play with due to its lack of story, progression, and the focus on characterizations and 'sploding
• You get way you pay for in terms of polish and gameplay, but it's a good value for the money (about $10)
• Even if the story is stripped down, it would be nice to have a goal related to that story
• Manic - a concept that is very in-your-face, but suits the game
• In Portal, a lot of the levels look the same visually. However, the player feels a progression because the humor and careful introduction of mechanics advances the story.  In 'Splosion Man, the humor is omnipresent all the time and the only signal of progression is the increasing difficulty in puzzles.
• The group had very mixed feelings about the "Way of the Coward" feature. It allows players to skip the level after dying a lot of times. If you enact the feature, your character wears a pink tutu for the duration of the next level.
• The majority felt that the pink tutu 'penalty' was justified and fit well with the humor of the game, while making sure the player isn't just advancing for the sake of advancing - they have to suffer a little bit.
• In Dead Space, the breadcrumb trail in the UI is integrated with the game's environment and story (you are connected to the ship's computer). In other games, including 'Splosion Man, it's just a button that allows you to advance.
• Is offering this option a symptom of poor game design? Can we assume that a designer will make a perfect game? Are there other things one can do from a design perspective to eliminate the need for such a button?
• The button allows frustrated players - both casual and hardcore - to advance, and it is always optional as to whether one uses it or not.

Final Thoughts

• There is a desire among us to avoid monotony, but it is acknowledged that 'Splosion Man may be meant to be played in short spurts - you pick it up any time
• 'Splosion Man could have done a better job of rewarding player actions and instilling a sense of progress and achievement.
• 'Splosion Man does a good job of being accessible to a wide audience (although we neglected to discuss exactly what the target audience might be).
• The concept of shorter play times and coming back to the game through multiple sittings seems to be becoming more and more popular (especially in social networks).